Denial
by torib0o
Summary: He shouldn't love him, he really shouldn't, after all Shikamaru is Neji's best friend and who falls for their best friend so unknowingly? Humor,Drama, Romance, Yaoi, ShikaNeji, WAFF. Art inspired fic. Story's better than description, trust me.


A/N: I didn't think it would take this long to write this story. Link on my page to the artwork that goes with this fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

--

"He doesn't want you…you…you…BLOND BIMBO!"

Ino's scream could be heard halfway to Suna as she glowered at the woman standing in front of her. She really had no reason to be upset with the other. Honestly, Temari had done nothing to her and her speculations were just that, speculations. Why she'd listened to Sakura was beyond her; she and pink haired kunoichi were known for gossip but she couldn't help but be flustered.

"You're calling me a bimbo? You have blond hair as well. Idiot." The last word was a mere whisper as Temari shook her head emphatically at the girl.

She really no idea what the purple clad ninja was talking about but she wasn't about to correct the girl. Even if the words weren't true, the thoughts they provoked were delicious and she couldn't help it if rumors spread, hell she didn't even _how_ know they originated, it wasn't like she was in Konoha to start them.

Temari looked back across the street to the small dango shop where she'd been enjoying the company of her brothers and Shikamaru's team until Ino dragged her to the small park that she was currently standing in. Though, as she looked at the shop, she felt her eyebrow arch at the site of Shikamaru looking as though he was interested in something or maybe it was someone.

--

Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose as he heard Ino screaming. He knew what she was upset about and he'd told her many times, far too many times in his opinion, that the rumors of he and Temari being something other than friends were completely untrue but when did Ino ever listen to him?

It wasn't the best situation that his and Temari's teammates were all together enjoying some dango what with the tense air surrounding Ino and it certainly didn't help matters when Lee and his teammates showed up and Lee expressed his great joy that Shikamaru and Temari back together so they could enjoy what Lee called 'the fruits of their youth.'

And from there it went downhill.

Shikamaru turned to look at Chouji when he heard his friend's laughter. "What?"

Chouji laughs diminished but didn't stop. "You look completely miserable, Shikamaru. If I had two beautiful girl's arguing over me, I'd be ecstatic."

"I would be if they weren't so troublesome." He muttered under his breath.

Shikamaru looked up as Neji sat across from him and out of the corner of his eye he could see Lee blushing slightly as he asked if he could sit beside Gaara. Tenten stood glaring at Neji and the pale eyed nin didn't miss her look.

"What?" he asked.

She groaned aloud as she motioned to where he was sitting. "Where am I supposed to sit?"

Neji glanced around the small restaurant and his eyes fell on an empty table. Moving to the table, he took a chair and placed it between Shikamaru and Tenten. "Happy now?" he asked. Satisfied when he received a nod, he turned to the brown-haired boy. "How've you been, Shikamaru?" he waved a hand in front of the boy's eyes. "Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru would've answered if hadn't been so captivated by the other's eyes. The weather had been less than beautiful in Konoha lately; everyday there was overcast and rain and many people would've believed that it would suit Shikamaru perfectly, what with the constant cloudy skies but they would've been terribly wrong. Shikamaru hated dark clouds like that, he thought they were somewhat foreboding. No, Shikamaru liked white, fluffy clouds. Like Neji's eyes.

Neji cocked his head imperceptibly as he watched Shikamaru stare at him blankly; blankly, not bored. He'd seen this expression on the Nara's face often in the past and try as he might, he couldn't figure it out. They'd been spending a considerable amount of time together in the past couple of years and had grown very close as friends. When Shikamaru decided that it was time he move out of his family's home and asked Neji if he wanted to share an apartment it hadn't take the Hyuuga more than five minutes to agree to live with Shikamaru. Though they hadn't seen each other in the past couple of weeks and Neji found that he missed his friend dearly.

"Shikamaru," he called again, this time snapping the boy out of his daydream.

"Yeah?" he answered, noticing that Ino and Temari still hadn't returned.

"I was just asking how you've been." Neji said softly.

Shikamaru quirked an eyebrow at Neji's quiet tone but simply shrugged his shoulders. "Alright I guess. How was your mission?" When Neji visibly tensed he felt himself soften. "Tell me later?"

"Yes."

In the time they'd been speaking, neither Shikamaru nor Neji noticed that the entire table's attention turned to focus on them, everyone with different thoughts flowing through their head. Tenten was about make hers known when a certain purple wearing Hyuuga walked up to their group.

"Niisan"

--

Neji sighed silently as he walked down the streets of Konoha with Hinata at his side. He barely remembered telling the girl he'd accompany her shopping before he left for his mission nearly three weeks ago but if she remembered then he couldn't tell her no.

"What exactly are we looking for, Hinata-sama?" he asked, looking down at the girl.

"A p-present for K-Kurenai-sensei." She replied in her usual tentative voice.

Neji nodded as Hinata stopped at a dress shop "Do you know what you're going to buy?"

"N-no." she said somewhat dejectedly. "K-Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, and I u-usually shop together but t-they've been on a mission f-for the past few d-days. I d-don't know if they'll m-make it back in t-time for her b-birthday."

Neji placed a calming hand on his relative's shoulder and gave a small smile when she looked up at him. "I'm sure they'll be back very soon." He said in the ever confident way that only he could.

As they entered the shop Hinata began to look the beautiful crimson dresses lining the walls of the small store, one in particular catching her eye. Neji watched as Hinata quickly made her way to the dresses and inwardly he couldn't help but wonder why Hinata asked him to go along.

"N-niisan"

Neji looked up to where she was and moved to stand beside her.

"W-what do you t-think of this one?" she asked as she held up a beautiful red kimono with black trimming around the coller, wrists, and bottom of the outfit. There were designs of flowers on the kimono and they were risen so one could feel them.

"It's beautiful." Neji said and smiled at his cousin once again. Looking her over, Neji noticed that she'd been more timid than usual if it were possible. As she paid for the present and the two made their way to the Hyuuga compound, Neji turned to Hinata and spoke quietly. "Is there something troubling you, Hinata-sama?"

"N-no!" she answered a bit too quickly.

Neji's eyes widened at the blush on Hinata's face. _'She could light up a room._' he thought to himself and he knew that she wasn't telling the truth. "If you do not wish to tell me, that is fine, Hinata-sama. However, I do not appreciate being lied to." He said as turned in direction that would lead him back home, only stopping when he felt a hand on the sleeve of his shirt.

"Neji-niisan, please wait." Hinata said quietly. "I-I'm sorry"

He sighed tiredly as he turned back to the girl. "It's alright, Hinata-sama."

"No it isn't," she said a bit firmly. "I w-wanted to ask about….a-about S-S-Shikamaru-kun" she nodded her head with determination.

Neji arched a slender eyebrow and felt an unusual feeling…of something negative, something he couldn't define. "What about him?"

Hinata almost started at the abrupt change in Neji's tone. _'He almost sounds angry'_ she noted. "I w-wanted to a-ask if he's s-s-seeing anyone at the moment."

"Seeing anyone!?" he didn't screech because Hyuuga Neji does not screech but at the sudden rawness of his throat, he did wonder what he did. 'Seeing anyone?' Hinata must've been absolutely mad to ask such a question! But why? Why was she crazy for asking if the Nara was dating someone and more importantly why was Neji upset that she was asking if his friend was dating anyone? When he noticed Hinata inching carefully towards him, Neji felt his chakra flare uncontrollably and Hinata backed away instantly. Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself and when he realized he couldn't, he opened his eyes to stare at his obviously frightened cousin and then he was gone, leaving Hinata on the road to the Hyuuga compound by herself.

--

Shikamaru released a breath as he watched the rain pour down over Konoha. Everyday had been the same for an insurmountable amount of time, inevitable rain. He walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch, immediately lying down and just as he was about to doze off to the dulcet tones of the rain, he felt familiar, dangerous chakra directly in front of him.

His eyes snapped open as he stood and he felt himself tense as he came to face Neji who was obviously trying to calm himself and was obviously failing miserably which only added to his frustration and the dangerousness of his lack of control. Shikamaru moved to stand not four feet away from Neji and brought his hands up so the older could see what he was doing. When he was sure Neji's eyes were on him, he quickly bound the pale-eyed boy and forced him to sit on their couch.

"What happened?" Shikamaru asked, sounding bored.

At the question, Neji couldn't help but feel angrier and Shikamaru didn't miss it.

He shook hands thus shaking Neji. "Calm down." he said. Focusing his chakra to one hand, he moved to his bedroom and came back with a cigarette in his mouth. He looked at Neji and snapped his fingers, lighting the thin, white tube with a fire jutsu.

"You're smoking?" Neji asked, sounding small in his own ears.

Shikamaru almost raised an eyebrow at the hurt tone but sighed out a breath of smoke. He didn't smoke anymore, not really anyway. He only did it when he was upset or aggravated, like he was at that moment. "Yeah,"

Neji looked at him and instantly felt dejected. He hadn't seen Shikamaru smoke in, what seemed like, months and he knew that the Nara only smoked when he was so annoyed his company could feel it. Neji looked up when he felt Shikamaru move closer to him, realizing that Shikamaru had released him and that he'd calmed considerably.

Shikamaru sighed as he looked at Neji and took another pull of his cigarette. He placed his arm around the other's shoulders and wasn't surprised Neji leaned against him. They'd grown accustomed to things like this; showing comfort through touches, occasional touches, and at times even sleeping in the same bed to simply ensure that the other wouldn't hurt themselves if they came back from a particularly traumatic mission. Shikamaru put out his cigarette when he heard Neji release a shaky breath.

"The mission." He began quietly. "There were so many of them, Shikamaru. I didn't want to kill them but there couldn't be any witnesses to the mission."

The Nara rubbed his shoulder soothingly. He knew Neji hated assassinations but they couldn't be helped, he couldn't refuse his duty as a ninja. "I know," he said quietly.

Neji nodded as he turned his face into Shikamaru's neck. "Can you…can you stay with me tonight?" he asked tentatively. Somewhere within himself, Neji hated asking Shikamaru for anything, especially comfort because the Nara had already given him so much, but at the same time, he knew Shikamaru would accept his request and he couldn't help but feel warm somewhere within him.

"Sure. Why don't you-" he was stopped midsentence by knocking on his door. "I'll get it. Why don't you go take a shower?"

They stood simultaneously, Neji leaving the room and Shikamaru answering the door.

The Nara raised an eyebrow when he opened the door.

"Is Neji here?" Tenten asked.

He wasn't used to having Tenten visit on her own, lest she request something. No, she was always accompanied by one of their friends but to see her alone was completely out of the norm. As the shower started, Tenten looked over the Nara's shoulder, trying to peer inside.

"He's in the shower."

Tenten looked up at him curiously. "Obviously, Shikamaru, I can hear it now."

It took a great deal of effort on the Nara's part not to roll his eyes. "Do you wanna come in?"

"No," she said with a sigh. "No, just tell him…I was here and…that I wanna finish our discussion." When Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, she turned and left, and said over her should, "He'll know what I mean."

He raised an eyebrow at her back as she left. _'Women.'_

--

When Neji finally came out of the bathroom, Shikamaru was already half asleep. He tilted his head as he studied the younger man's features. _'He is quite attractive.' _He shook his head at thought. What was he thinking? Shikamaru was one of his closest friends for goodness sakes and he did not find him attractive, no, not in the least. There was nothing attractive about the younger's slightly tanned skin, his full lips, his chiseled-, no! He shook his head once more. These thoughts should not be in his head. He was not attracted to another man and he most certainly wasn't attracted to Shikamaru, after all-.

"Why are you just standing there?" he heard that familiar deep voice inquire.

Neji looked up to find Shikamaru's eyes on his, the younger laying on his side on their couch. Neji swallowed the lump in his throat as those eyes scanned his own. "I was trying to decide if I wanted to wake you, you looked so comfortable."

Shikamaru simply looked at him. The Nara had been awake when Neji came into the room and he was sure that Neji knew that he'd been at the very least semiconscious. "Well now that you know I'm awake, for the most part, wanna go to bed?"

Neji nodded and walked back into his bedroom, when he turned he was surprised to see that Shikamaru hadn't followed him but then remembered the Nara was still dressed in his uniform. As he turned down the covers and climbed into the large bed, he sighed contentedly at the comfortable feeling of his pillow beneath his head. As much as he loved being a ninja, he would admit only to himself and perhaps a select few, his favorite part of the occupation was coming homing and basking in the familiarity of it all.

"Are you just going to stand there?" he asked his companion.

Shikamaru smirked at the sight of Neji's body curled around a pillow. "I was just letting you enjoy your time alone."

Neji snorted as he turned on his back and looked at Shikamaru. "I'm sure." He said while taking the other's appearance and he nearly smiled when he saw the Nara wearing the cloud adorned pajama pants that he'd bought for the other on a whim while on a mission to the Village Hidden in the Clouds and he let that smile slip with the realization that he was wearing the bottoms Shikamaru had purchased while on a mission to Bird Country. He felt his smile falter at the thought though. Did normal friends buy each other gifts like this? He nearly scoffed aloud, _'Of course they do!'_

"Hey" Shikamaru called as he approached the bed. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

Neji glowered at his companion as Shikamaru settled into the bed. "I told you not to call me that!"

Neji hated it when Shikamaru brought up his appearance, not because he disliked it though, quite the contrary. He liked Shikamaru calling him pretty and as much as he would've hated for any other to call him that, when the Nara said it, Neji couldn't help but feel light flutters throughout his body, which is exactly why he disliked it.

Shikamaru snickered. "I can't help it. Your reaction's different every time, I like to see which I'll get." He snickers turned to full out laughter when Neji turned his head and a rosy hue came to rest on the older's cheeks.

Neji could've growled in frustration. "If it's so funny, then I can go sleep by myself."

Shikamaru grabbed his hand as the Hyuuga rose. "And where are you gonna sleep?"

"Your bed."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. _'Always such a drama queen.'_ "I was only kidding. Get back in bed." When Neji only looked at him, he tugged the Hyuuga's arm gently. "Come on."

Neji got back in the bed and sighed aloud as Shikamaru turned on his side to look down at the older boy. "How are we sleeping tonight?"

He knew he was blushing, he felt the familiar heat on his face. It was always so embarrassing, in his opinion, how Shikamaru decided how they would sleep when Neji would ask for them to share a bed. The Hyuuga would either thrash in his sleep, thus hurting himself, or, and Neji abhorred himself for admitting it, cry. Not quiet cries where a tear or two would slip pass his closed eyelids, but loud, choking sobs.

Being used to both, Shikamaru knew he had to ask. There were times when he'd woken to Neji moving violently, tossing and turning frantically and logically, the Nara had tried to wake him and wasn't the least bit surprised when he was on his back less than second later with Neji's wide, anxious eyes focused on him. Every ninja knew it was more than a bit dangerous to wake another when they were having violent dreams but he knew he couldn't let Neji sleep through it and wake up injured for crashing his body against the wall or nightstand. And the tears. He hated it when Neji cried. If Shikamaru could choose, he would rather the former because the latter was absolutely heartbreaking. If he were to wake Neji while he was crying in his sleep, the older wouldn't stop and it would only get worse until he fell back asleep or tried to tell Shikamaru what was bothering him through his sobs.

So for these reasons Shikamaru decided that the best way for Neji to sleep if he were feeling particularly anxious would be for Neji to sleep between the wall and Shikamaru, so if he were to become violent Shikamaru would be able to stop him. If he was feeling sullen then they would sleep in whichever way was most comfortable to them. As he looked at Neji Shikamaru could already tell which it was, so he turned his back and shut off the light.

"W-what are you doing?" Neji asked, feeling strangely disappointed.

"Sleeping."

"You didn't even wait for me to answer."

Shikamaru sighed and turned back to look at the other, eyes adjusting to the darkness surrounding the room. "I can tell." He said as he watched Neji's outline look down at the sheets and then lay down. "Or am I wrong?"

Neji snorted. "That would be unlikely."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes once more as he lay down, this time closer to Neji. He reached out and wrapped an arm around the older's slender waist, pulling Neji against him.

"What are you doing?!" the pale-eyed boy hissed into the darkness.

"Calm down," Shikamaru said calmly. "You asked me to sleep in here and I am."

"But you're-"

"Shh," he clenched his lids. "We would've ended up like this anyway."

It was true that most of time they did awake entangled in each other's limbs but with Neji's thoughts that day of Shikamaru, the reminder certainly wasn't welcome.

When Neji stilled in arms, Shikamaru released a silent breath of relief. He wanted more than anything to sleep and he knew it wouldn't happen if Neji kept speaking so he found an effective way to quiet him. Truth be told, he'd been missing the Hyuuga fiercely since he'd left for his mission. He didn't have anyone to converse with and alone, their apartment seemed entirely too big. So now as he lay in the Hyuuga's large bed with said Hyugga in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a little surge of joy and that joy was only added to when he felt Neji snuggle closer and rest his head on the Nara's shoulder. Yes, it was good to have Neji home.

--

_Shikamaru's Dream_

"'_Come _on_, Shikamaru!" Neji said heatedly as he pulled the Nara toward a photo booth in the back of the arcade. "It'll be fun!_"

_Shikamaru could hardly remember why he was with Neji until he remembered that he'd promised the Hyuuga to spend the day with him while he watched some of his younger cousins. He didn't really want to spend the day with a bunch of hyperactive ten year olds but to be with Neji, he could _try_ to make an exception._

"_I doubt it," the Nara mumbled under his breath and tried to smile innocently when glaring, milky white orbs turned to him. "I mean, no doubt about it…"_

_Neji shook his head as he entered the booth and sat down, pulling Shikamaru with him. He slipped a few coins into the machine and picked a background setting for the pictures. Smiling pleasantly throughout all of the photos, he frowned when the pictures came out of the little slot and showed Shikamaru displaying some amount of lethargy in all of them._

_Looking at Shikamaru, Neji rolled his eyes as the Nara yawned while stretching. "I don't know why I expected anything else." He said as a small smile came to rest on his face._

--

When he awoke the next morning, Shikamaru noticed how close he and Neji were lying. Not that they didn't normally awake tangled closely but today Neji lying halfway on top of him, an arm wrapped almost possessively his waist. He almost wanted to wake Neji just so he could he could see those beautiful eyes and make this position perfect but decided against it.

Shikamaru knew ages ago about his attraction to the Hyuuga lying beside him but decided against speaking on it. He had every doubt in his mind that Neji would be comfortable with his attraction, well not every doubt per say. He'd run the scenarios hundreds of times through his mind and almost all of them ended with Neji walking away from him and never speaking to him again and he'd decided living with his feelings, with Neji at his side, was a lot less painful then Neji ignoring him for the rest of his days.

As he looked to his left, he found himself idly stroking the soft, pale skin beneath his fingers and it wasn't long before milky white orbs opened sleepily and looked up at him calmly before pulling away as though he'd been burned.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked as he moved further from Shikamaru and the Nara couldn't help but feel a bit dejected with the action.

Shrugging, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed as he stood. "Nothing, just letting you get your sleep."

Neji raised an eyebrow at the slightly clipped tone but didn't say anything as he watched Shikamaru rise from his bed. He watched as Shikamaru raised his arms to tie his hair up and couldn't help but stare at the younger and think of how handsome he looked with his hair down like that and how amazing his muscles looked when he stretched like that. He turned his head as he felt heat rising to his face, focusing on the sheets that were puddled around his waist.

The staring didn't go unnoticed by Shikamaru and the Nara nearly questioned Neji about it until he saw how uncomfortable the older became. Shaking his head, he left the room, telling his friend he would see him later.

--

"If you like Ino, you should probably just tell her." Shikamaru said to Chouji as his large friend looked sadly at a bag of chips.

"No" he said lowly. He looked at Shikamaru before looking away. "Shikamaru, Ino likes you a lot."

"I know but I don't like her, not in that way."

Chouji looked back to Shikamaru. "Why not? Don't you think she's pretty?"

"Hmm," Shikamaru tilted his head thoughtfully. "She's attractive, yes, but she's not my type."

Chouji thought hard while looking at his companion. He'd known Shikamaru, quite literally, since the day the Nara was born and yet, he'd never seen him with anyone and he couldn't figure out why. There were girls _throwing_ themselves at the boy but he simply didn't respond. As his eyes trailed over Shikamaru's body, the Nara looked at him and smirked.

"I know what you're thinking, Chou," He said. "And I'd be more likely to fall for you before Ino."

Chouji's eyes widened at the proclamation and he simply looked at Shikamaru for a moment before turning away once again, the markings on checks disappearing beneath his flush.

"Don't be so surprised. What I mean is, Ino is far too troublesome for me to fall for. If she was calmer and didn't overreact in nearly instance of her life, she might be more attractive to me but she isn't."

Chouji nodded and swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "What about me?"

"You're calm and more often than not, very collected. I like that in a person." Shikamaru said quietly as he watched the clouds drift overhead.

"Calm and collected, huh?" Chouji wondered aloud. How many people were there like that in Konoha? Hardly any if he thought logically and when he thought through the list, the only female that almost measured up was Tenten but he didn't think she was really Shikamaru's type. "Hey Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"What about Tenten?"

Shikamaru looked at his friend. "What about her?"

Chouji rolled his eyes a bit, knowing Shikamaru knew what he meant. "Would you date her?"

"No."

Chouji couldn't help his curiosity as he asked, "Who would you date?"

Shikamaru began to sit up but stopped halfway, finding the action rather troublesome and propped himself up on his elbows. "Why?"

"I'm just curious."

Shikamaru continued to just look at his friend before lying back down. He knew Chouji wouldn't tell anyone, he didn't have any reason too. "Neji."

"NEJI?!" Chouji exclaimed. "Hyuuga Neji?! Really? Why?"

"Yes, yes, yes, and probably for the same reason you like Ino, because he's interesting to me."

They sat in comfortable silence, each lost to their own thoughts until Chouji decided to speak again.

"Does he know?" he asked quietly.

"No."

"Are you gonna tell him?"

"No."

"Why not?" Seeing that the Nara had looked at him once again, Chouji clarified his meaning. "I mean, if I should tell Ino then why shouldn't you tell Neji?"

"Troublesome." He said under his breath. "Because the situation is entirely different."

"How so?"

"Ino could just say that she doesn't like you, it doesn't mean she'd stop hanging around with you but if I were to tell Neji, he'd probably get like he does when he's nervous and then avoid me all together if he doesn't just tell me he doesn't anything to do with me anymore."

Chouji tilted his head questioningly. "How does he get when he's nervous?"

"Depends on what kind of nervousness it is, sometimes he'll be skittish, other times he'll be cold, it really does depend on his mood."

"Mmm, I think you should tell him, Shikamaru."

"Why?"

"Why not? What've you got to lose?"

--

When Shikamaru returned to his and Neji's apartment that evening, the only thing he wanted to do was go to sleep. As he opened the door to the apartment, the first thing he noticed was that Neji had a guest and the second thing was that that guest Rock Lee. Hoping to avoid the over-enthusiastic nin, he crept quietly down the hall but after hearing bits and pieces of their conversation, Shikamaru knew that nothing was going to distract Lee from Neji at the moment.

--

"Tell me more about this person, Neji, have you known them for a very long time?"

Neji had invited Lee over earlier that afternoon. Along with Shikamaru, Lee was another person that Neji had grown especially close with over the years and he was very grateful for his spandex wearing companion at times like these. When Lee spoke about youthful love and the like, it turned out that he actually knew what he was talking about and was very good with reading the feelings of those around him, which was part of the reason Neji invited the slightly younger man over. As much as he wanted to refuse the odd way he was feeling around Shikamaru, he couldn't anymore and he needed to speak to someone who could help him make sense of things.

"I've known them for a few years." Neji answered tentatively.

"And how close are you to them?" Lee asked, being as serious as Neji had ever seen him.

"Very; closer than you and I."

Lee tilted his head. "Really, Neji? Describe how you feel around this person."

Neji swallowed audibly before nodding in determination. "When they're around me, my heart beats more quickly and my chest tightens in anxiety, almost in anticipation. When I'm away from them, I feel so excruciatingly dejected and I can't help but want them at my side. And whenever I'm upset he always knows how to make me feel better even if I don't know myself."

Lee straightened when Neji slipped up, inadvertently reveling the gender of the person he was describing. _'I wonder if it is…'_ Lee noticed how nervous Neji looked and smiled sympathetically when he realized his teammate was trying not to fidget. "It seems as though you are deeply enamored with this person, Neji." At the shocked look on Neji's face, Lee continued. "If I were you, I would not waste any time in telling him."

So shocked was Neji that he completely missed Lee specifying that he knew that Neji was quite obviously in love with another man. "That absolutely preposterous, Lee!"

"Is it, Neji? You obviously think about this person quite often and if I did not know better by the things you have told me, I could almost bet that you wish they were here at this very moment."

Neji was panicking. He didn't want to believe this. Standing abruptly, he slammed his hands down on the kitchen table. "That's not true!"

Lee stood as well and mirrored Neji's actions, hoping that in his anger Neji would be able to admit how he felt. "It is, you know it is!"

"I don't love him! I _don't_ love him!"

"Who do you not love, Neji?! Who do you not love?!"

"SHIKAMARU!"

Neji's mouth hung open, his eyes wide in shock as he realized what he'd just said. He'd confessed it, hadn't he? He'd spoken it aloud and now there was no way to deny it to himself or the other person in the room. How had it gotten to be like this? When had it snuck up on him? Surely he couldn't stay in the apartment with Shikamaru anymore, not after he'd made this discovery.

He looked at Lee somewhat blankly but his friend could see the underlying sadness in his eyes and tried to comfort him with words that he knew would give no warmth to the Hyuuga.

"It will be alright, Neji, there is no reason to despair. Shikamaru is a very mild-mannered person, I am sure he will take the news of this quite well."

As Neji looked at Lee, he noticed that his friend's eyes were shifting to him and something behind him, and as he turned he didn't feel as though he would cry because Hyuuga Neji did not cry consciously, but he surely felt he could do something akin to it. There, standing calmly behind him, with an ever bored expression, was Shikamaru, simply taking in the conversation calmly. Though knowing Shikamaru, Neji knew that the Nara already knew what he was thinking. So before Shikamaru tried to calm him in his annoyingly placating manner, Neji pushed past him and quickly made his way to his room, silently shutting and locking the door.

--

"Hn. That went well." Shikamaru said as he leaned against the counter, looking down at Lee.

"Do not hurt him, Shikamaru. Neji is a very sensitive person, minor changes affect him greatly." Lee said boldly.

Feeling slightly offended, Shikamaru stood up straight and looked his companion in the eye. "I'm well aware of that. I live with him, remember? I know him as well as I know myself, if not better. Don't lecture me on Neji's behavioral patterns." He sighed as looked down the hall that led to their bedrooms before looking back to Lee. "I think you should go now."

Lee nodded, knowing what Shikamaru wasn't saying and left the apartment quickly, hoping all would go well.

After Lee left, Shikamaru went to his room and lay down on his bed, pulling out a cigarette. He smoked idly for a few moments, getting his thoughts together. He wasn't sure what to say to Neji at the moment. The older man was obviously upset that he had feelings for Shikamaru and Shikamaru couldn't help but think that revealing his feelings would make matters worse, at least at the moment.

As he sat up and put the cigarette out, he was surprised to see his door open and Neji pop his head in. He didn't look at Shikamaru; he simply stuck his head through the door and in a nearly inaudible voice asked if he could join the Nara and at this, Shikamaru simply stared at him. It was truly odd; Shikamaru knew that they often sought each other out when they needed comfort of some sort but for Neji to come to him now was something that he almost couldn't make sense of. _'Maybe he's testing me; seeing if I'll let him come in or send him away.'_ He told Neji to come in and wasn't surprised when the Hyuuga closed the door and climbed into his bed, laying nearly on the edge. They sat this way until Neji asked, still looking at the ceiling if Shikamaru had been smoking. Though he knew it might be better for the situation if he lied, saying the smell lingered or something of the like, Shikamaru told the truth, knowing how much the Hyuuga hated the habit.

"Why?"

"I felt like smoking."

Neji scoffed and at this Shikamaru couldn't help but look at him. "That's a lie. You only smoke when you're upset."

"I'm glad you know me so well." he said quietly with a smile.

Neji looked at his companion and then away. "I can't help but be perceptive." He murmured.

"Hmm, this is true." Shikamaru hummed as he pulled out his hair-tie then stood to shrug off his flak jacket before lying back down. "I know the feeling."

Neji looked at Shikamaru once more, this time holding the younger's gaze. "I'm sure."

"Are you?" When the older nodded, he said. "Then you probably know I have a few questions and things to say."

Neji looked up at the tone the Nara had used. He sounded so definite, as though this conversation wasn't one that he would be able to avoid or ignore like he so desperately wanted to. He really didn't want to have this conversation with Shikamaru, he simply wanted to see if the younger man would still speak to him in the way he usually did.

"Why are you so far away from me; usually we lay closer in bed."

Neji released a breath and spoke quietly.

"What was that?"

"I said, I wasn't sure how comfortable you would be." He replied only a bit louder.

Shikamaru turned on his side, looking across the large amount space between him and the Hyuuga. "Why wouldn't I be comfortable?"

Neji sighed audibly and raked a shaky hand through his hair. Was it really so necessary to spell it out for the Nara? Looking at Shikamaru, Neji knew that the younger was just asking for the sake of asking and he shook his head negatively. _'I'm not going to sit here and let him embarrass me like this.'_ Sitting up abruptly, Neji swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood…or at least he thought he did.

"What are you doing?" he asked quietly, watching as his and the Nara's shadows melded.

"What are _you _doing?"

"Shikamaru," Neji said softly. "Why are you doing this to me? Why are you trying to make me so uncomfortable?"

Shikamaru released a breath as he moved behind Neji, his legs on either side of the slightly smaller man's, hanging over the edge of the bed. "I'm not trying to make you feel uncomfortable; I'm trying to figure out why you'd think I would be uncomfortable around you."

A quiet murmur.

"What?"

"Because you heard what I told Lee." Neji said, his voice thick with despondency. "Because you heard what I said and you know how I feel about you."

The room was reigned by silence but it was deafening. Each man was lost to his own thoughts and would've been oblivious to his company if not for his closeness. One of them feeling his inner turmoil becoming tangible while the other remained perfectly calm, assessing the situation they were in. Would things really have to change so much? Weren't these revelations a good thing? With their feelings exposed, couldn't they have a better, more honest friendship or maybe…something more?

Shikamaru looked down at the man between his legs and tentatively wrapped his arms around the Hyuuga's waist, sighing inaudibly when a slight amount of tension visibly left Neji's body. "Is that so bad?"He asked, arms tightening around the thin waist in his grasp. "Is it so bad that I know you love me?"

Neji stiffened in Shikamaru's arms but didn't try to move. "I don't love you." He said softly.

"Who are you trying to convince?" the Nara asked as he moved away from Neji. "Because it isn't me."

As soon as Shikamaru pushed away from him, Neji could already say that he missed the younger's body heat. Who was he trying to convince? He knew, deep down, that Shikamaru wouldn't believe his hush, hesitating tones because, deep down, he didn't believe himself. When the bed shifted, he looked behind himself to see that Shikamaru had moved away from him and was getting off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

A shrug.

"You're just going to leave?"

He sighed, "Neji, you won't even admit to what you've just said, why am I gonna stay here and try to drag it out of you if you're not willing to talk about it?" he asked while pulling his hair up into its usual style and so quiet was Neji's response, the Nara nearly missed it.

"If I were willing to talk about it, would you stay?"

Shikamaru looked back at his bed in surprise at Neji's request. The older man was sitting with his back against the pillows, his knees drawn to his chest, eyes searching the comforter beneath him as Shikamaru stared at him. So with another sigh, Shikamaru released his hair and moved to sit beside his companion, carefully keeping his eyes away from the Hyuuga.

"I love you too."

Once again, silence reigned and Neji nearly snapped his neck to look at Shikamaru. Had he really just…said it like that? So simply? 'I love you.' No nerves? No panicking? No shock, no tears, no sadness? _'But then again, I suppose love is supposed to be a happy thing.'_ As he looked to Shikamaru once more, Neji couldn't help but gasp when he found dark eyes focused on him.

"I mean it, Neji." Shikamaru said as he moved closer to the Hyuuga. "I love you every bit of myself."

Shikamaru managed to keep his face blank as Neji frowned at him. _'Maybe he doesn't…believe me.'_ He thought as he watched the Hyuuga's face distort completely and instantly he knew what the older was doing, especially when he pulled his bottom lip between perfectly pearly whites. _'He's trying not to cry…_' And as melodramatic and troublesome as it would have been if it were anyone else, Shikamaru wrapped his arms around the smaller's lithe form and hugged him to his tightly chest.

"I love you." He said again and that broke the dam for the man in his arms. As he rocked them gently, he couldn't help but smile in way that could've been perceived as both bitter and happy. _'I hope those are tears of joy.'_

--

When red rimmed, white eyes looked up at him almost fearfully, Shikamaru couldn't help but give a small smile. He'd lost track of the time in which he'd held Neji; the older's tears had lasted the longest but since then, they simply lay together, one listening to the silence, the other listening to a calming heartbeat. Though now, the head that had been resting on his chest rose and beautiful pale eyes were looking at him in a way that he'd never seen.

"I'm sorry." He said, voice raspy from his tears as he tried to push away. "You shouldn't have had to deal with that."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the docile nature the older was displaying. He pulled Neji back down against him and when questioning eyes looked up at him, he smirked. "Actually, I should." He leaned down, his lips a breath away from Neji's "When you love someone, you deal with everything for them, and you do it without question."

Neji would've tried to pull away if he weren't so transfixed with the Nara's lips. He took a deep breath when Shikamaru began to speak, his breath washing across Neji's lips like waves against a beach, and Neji couldn't help but release a small sound, something akin to a whimper.

Shikamaru looked into his eyes and smiled. "I want to kiss you." He said softly against Neji's lips. "I'm going to kiss you."

Neji wouldn't have been able to protest if he wanted too, the Nara's lips were against his in a second and it was wonderful, so wonderful. The kiss was chaste and bare but there was so much to it that would've left their knees weak had they been standing. It was warm and soft and gentle and sweet. It wasn't more than a peck on the lips but at the same time it was so much more.

When Shikamaru pulled away from Neji, he smiled, genuinely smiled, at the smaller man on top of him. He was waiting for Neji to open his eyes but decided upon something better, he leaned down slightly and pressed his lips to each of those closed eyelids and when they flittered open, he smiled once more and tightened his arms around Neji's form.

"I love you, Shikamaru."

--

It was later that evening after countless kisses and sweet whispered words, that Neji and Shikamaru lay laughing in the Nara's bed. They hadn't moved to get food even, characteristically lazy for the Nara but the Hyuuga agreed with him this evening and found that their bloodline limits were extremely useful together; Shikamaru using his shadow to stretch into the kitchen, gathering a fair amount of food while Neji watched with his Byakuugan and directed the Nara how to move to keep their food level. Though now they were both laughing as they shared stories of things they'd each missed in the other's absence.

Now, as their laughter died down, Shikamaru leaned over and laid his head in Neji's lap and smiled up at the older man as he looked down on him. "By the way, Tenten was here earlier. Said she wanted to finish your discussion or something like that."

Neji hummed as he trailed his finger through Shikamaru's loose locks. "She is quite…charmed by me."

"She likes you?"

"Hmm, quite a bit."

"I see."

"Hinata likes you as well."

"Hinata, really?"

"Yes, though I can't figure out why."

Shikamaru looked up at Neji and found the older man smiling down at him. He reached up and pulled the Hyuuga's head down to him and kissed him once more.

"Still can't figure out why?"

--

As Neji and Shikamaru walked through the park the next day hand in hand, a series of rather odd things all at once to their female companions in the area. As they walked through the area, the first to go was Tenten, the weapon wielding kunoichi, fainting at the site of her love interest and his closest friend holding hands. Temari took pity on the girl and began to fan her as Hinata broke into tears and began to sob into the sleeves of her oversized coat as Ino stomped her foot and began to rant about how unfair it was that the cute boys never wanted her.

Both Shikamaru and Neji frowned as one thought ran through their minds simultaneously. _'Troublesome'_

As they continued to walk down the path, Shikamaru squeezed Neji's hand gently, getting the smaller's attention. "I had the strangest dream about you the other night."

"Really?" Neji asked as he arched a slender eyebrow. "I had one about you too."

"What about?"

Neji tilted his head in thought. "I can't quite remember but…we were laughing and smiling and you did this odd…thing with your foot."

"Hmm?"

"I believe I head Tenten once refer to it as a 'foot pop'" at the sound of laughter, Neji looked to his now boyfriend and tilted his head once more. "What's so funny?"

"I did a foot pop in your dream?" he asked between guffaws.

The laughter was contagious and Neji couldn't help but begin to laugh as well as he asked about Shikamaru's dream. When the Nara told him that in his dream the Hyuuga had forced him into a tiny photo booth to take pictures, Neji couldn't help but laugh again because as odd and uncharacteristic as it be would be to do something like that, he couldn't help but think that it wasn't such a bad a idea and that it might be, just a little bit, fun.

As their laughter died down and Shikamaru caught sight of Neji looking at him out of the corner of one of those beautifully milky white eyes, he turned to face the Hyuuga. Shikamaru placed his hands on thin Neji's waist thus turning the Hyuuga to him. As he leaned down, he captured those beautiful pink lips betwixt his own and he barely stopped the smirk he felt as Neji wound his arms around his neck.

'_I'm glad we were able to admit to each other because now we have this and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm glad we came clean, that we're not living in denial.'_

--

End!

This fic was actually inspired by a picture on DA by Ashie—chan….well it was on Ashie—chan's gallery but it was done by her sister.

The picture is actually quite simple but I loved it and I wanted to write a fic but I totally ran with it.

XD

So ashie—chan and ashie—chan's sister, I hope you both like it.

Link to the artwork on my profile.

-torib0o (10/25)


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